stop agitating for a southern governor candidate in the 2011 elections, but to help governor Namadi Sambo gain a second term, and wait for 2015 to get a southern governor. In May 2010, there were rumors that President Goodluck Jonathan would nominate Kaduna State governor Namadi Sambo as his vice president, which would cause Yakowa to become governor. If so, he would be the first person from Southern Kaduna and first Christian to become governor in the state, an innovation to which some Northern leaders objected. The rumors proved true and on 20 May 2010, the day after Sambo had become vice-president, Yakowa was sworn in as Kaduna governor. To reassure people in the ethnically and religiously mixed state, he said: "I am governor for all, irrespective of religious or tribal affiliation". Yakowa successfully ran for election as Kaduna Governor in the 26 April 2011 polls on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform. In a close race, he polled 1,334,319 votes to clinch victory with a difference of 200,755 votes over the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) candidate, Haruna Sae'ed, who came second with 1,133,564 votes. Death On 15 December 2012, the governor died in a helicopter crash along with the former National Security Adviser Gen. Owoye Andrew Azazi (rtd) while flying from Bayelsa state to Port Harcourt. They were returning from the funeral of Oronto Douglas' father in Beyelsa state. Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, the deputy governor of late Yakowa, was sworn-in the following day (Sunday, 16 December 2012) as the state's new governor by the state Chief Judge, Justice Rahila Cudjoe. References 1948 births 2012 deaths Ahmadu Bello University alumni Governors of Kaduna State Peoples Democratic Party state governors of Nigeria Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Nigeria Nigerian Christians Politicians from Kaduna State